Life-preserving suit.



N. MOLDOVAN, A. I. MADRISS & A. LEVITT. LIFE PRESERVING SUIT.

APPLxcATloN FILED rfa. 21. 1911.

1,265,234. Patented May 7,1918.

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N. MOLDOVAN, A. l. MADRISS & A. LEVITT.-

.LIFE PRESERVINGYSUIT. APPLICATION FILED FEB.27.I9I1.

1,265,234. Patented May 7,1918.

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unrrnn s'rATns PATENT ormon- NATHAN' MOLDOVAN, ABRAHAM I. MADRISS, AND ABRAHAM LEVITT, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

LIFE-PRESERVING SUIT.

saving devices.

Our invention has for its object primarily to provide a suit or garment designed to be worn. by a person-when about to enter water whereby the wearer may be prevented from drowning, and which is of a form adapted to be readily applied to as well as being easily removed from the wearer. The invention consists essentially of a body made of flexible material with arms and legs, and the body is fashioned with a vertically disposed open front throughout its length as well as eing formed with spaced folds eX- teriorly to provide projecting inclosures containing floatable material. The open front of the body is releasably fastened by a locking device composed preferably of two complemental interfitting members one on each marginal edge of the opening of the body, and these membersare releasably locked togetherby clamps.

A furtherpobject of the invention is to provide a life preserving suit of a simple and eliicient form which is susceptible of being made in various sizes.l

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and will then be pointed out in the claims at the end of the description. f

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of one form of life preserving suit embodying our invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation, partly fragmentary, of the suit.

Fig. 3 is a vsection taken on the line III- III of Fig.` 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing an Specication of Letters Patent.

Application led February 27, 1917. Serial N o. 151,276.

Patented May 7, 1918.

elevation of one of the locking devices rused on the suit, the device being shown in closed position.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view showing the device in open position, and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line VI'V'I of Fig. 4.

The life preserving suit has a body 10, sleevesl l1, 12, and legs 13, 15 with inclosed feet, as 16, 17, all of which is made preferably of cloth, such as canvas, though these parts may be of other suitable flexible material if desired, as 'well as being fashioned so as to fit the wearer comparatively loosely. Around the neck of the body 10 may be a closely fitting collar 18 of rubber, or other water-proof material, and the sleeves may be provided with closely fitting cuffs, as 19, also of rubber or other water-proof material, while the ends of the collar may be detachably fastened with clasps, as 20, of any well known or preferred tvpes.

.The front of the body 10 is vertically slltted from its neck downwardly throughout its length to allow the suit to be easily applied to a person as well as permitting it to be easily removed. On the back of the 'body are a number of spaced vertical inclosures, or pockets, as 21, extending substantially the length of the body, and at the side parts of the front of the body may also be a number of similar spaced vertical inclosures, or pockets 22 and 23 extending from about the breast portion to the waist of -the body. All of these inclosures are preferably provided by forming folds, or puffs in the body by stitching together spaced parts thereof in any desired manner, and each inclosure is filled with particles of cork, or other floatable material, as 23, so that the inclosures, or folds will be flexible as well as serving to prevent the wearer of the suit from sinking in the Water. Also in the sole of each foot of the leg of the garment may be a plate 23b of metal, or the like of a size somewhat'larger than the foot of a person.

For the purpose of permitting the front of the body of the garment to be releasably fastened, a locking device, as 24, is provided. This locking device has preferably two complemental members 25 and 26. The member 25 may be in the form of a strip of rubber, or other resilient Waterproof flexible material which is applied on one of the marginal edges of the body 10 of the garment so as to protrude in opposed relation to the other4 marginal edge, and this strip may be of a length so as to extend from the collar 18 to.

the lower end of this marginal edge of the body. The member 26 may be 'composed of and upward movements of the body of the wearer of the garment, and these strips are disposed in spaced parallel arrangement one in front of the other as well as being mounted on the second marginal edge of the front opening of the body of the garment to protrude in 'opposed relation to the member 25 of the locking device. Between the edges of the strips 27' and 28 which are held to the body is a strip 29 of rubber, or other waterproof iexible material, and this rubber strip is considerably narrower than the widths of the spaced sectional strlps 27 and 28 to provide a groove 30 between these' sectional strips for removably receiving the member, or ileXible strip 25 therebetween. These parts of the member 26 are of lengths similar to the lengths of the member 25, and to releasably lock these members together when interitted, a number of clamps 31 are provided.

One of the clamps 31 may be provided on each section of the member'26 of the locking device, and all of the clamps are preferably of similar formations. Each clamp has a jaw 32 which may be made of wire to provide two spaced arms 33 and 34 of like lengths and one of the corresponding end parts of these arms is turned rightangularly to provide a cross-arm, as at 35, for being moved into releasable engagement with the edge of the member 25 of the locking device when this member is interitted in the groove 30 of the member 26. The arms 33 and 34 of the jaw 32`of each of the clamps are of lengths so as to extend approximately midway of the member 26 of the locking device, and the free end parts of these arms are bent inwardly, as at 36 and 37, between the arms in opposition to each other. These bent ends of the arms of the jaw 32 of each clamp are` freely rotatable in loops 38 and 39 of a lever, or handle 40 for permitting .the

of each clamp is made of wire bent semi-circularly. The central parts of the arms of each lever,'or handle are bent in spaced relation inwardly to form two arms, as 42 and 43, which terminate with the loops 38 and 39. The bent parts of the'arms of each handle are pvotally disposed'in eyes 46 and 47 projecting upwardly from the top of each section of the member 26 of the lockjaw of the clamp to be manually operated, and the lever ing device, and in this manner the arms 33 and 34 of the jaw 32 of each clamp will be swung above the member 26 of the locking device when the handles, or levers 40 of the clamps are also moved in upward directions. The jaws 32 of each clam will then be swung upwardly for rreleasing its arm 35 from the member 25 of the locking device. The member 25 of the locking device may then be removed from its interfitting engagement with the member 26 to open the front of the garment. After the garment has been applied to the wearer, the member 25 is reinterfitted in the member 26 of the locking device, and by reversely operating the levers, or handles 40 of the clamps the jaws 32 of the clamps will be swung into engagement with the member 25 for releasably locking the front of the garment together.

In the foregoing description, we have embodied the preferred form of our invention, but we do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves thereto, as we are aware that modifications may be made therein without departing from the principle, or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, therefore we reserve to ourselves-the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope thereof.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A life preserving suit, comprising a flexible body having a vertically disposed open front throughout its length to allow the suit to be removably appliedon a. person, a locking device having two complemental sectional members one on each marginal edge of the opening of the body one of said members being of resilient material and the other member being non-resilient and having a groove for removable reception of the first mentioned member to close the opening of the body, and clamps for releasably locking Kbody being formed with spaced folds exteriorly thereon to provide inclosures for floatable material, and a locking device having two complemental sectional members one on each marginal edge of the opening of the body one of said members being of resilient material and the other-,member being of nonresilient material and having a groove for removable reception of the first mentioned member to close the opening of the body.

3. A life preserving suit, comprising a fiexible body with sleeves and legs, the body having a vertically disposed open front throughout its length to allow the suit to be removably applied on a person, and said body only being formed with vertical spaced folds exteriorly thereon to provide inclosures fory floatable material, a locking device having two complemental sectional members one on each margin'aledge of the opening of the body one of said members being of resilient material and the other member being of non-resilient material and having a groove for removable reception of the virst, mentioned member to close the opening of the body, and clamps for releasably locking the NATHAN MoLDovAN,

ABRAHAM I. MADRIss, ABRAHAM LEVITT.

Witnesses:

GEORGE F, BENTLEY, VIM. Rtmrrn. 

